Once More
by VoyICJ
Summary: Before Albus leaves for his last mission with Harry, he calls Minerva to his office for the last time.


Disclaimer: As always I own nothing... the characters belong to the lovely Ms. Rowling

Summary: It's been done a million times, but I guess I just had to do it as well... Before Albus leaves for his final mission with Harry, Minerva goes to see him for the last time.

Author's note: I didn't think I'd ever write a Harry Potter story again, but here I am, finally giving in to the plot bunny that has attacked me two weeks ago. This story isn't betaed, just so you know. I hope you can forgive me my possible slaughter of the English language.

**Once more**

„Professor McGonagall?" A fifth year Ravenclaw poked her head into Minerva's classroom.

"Yes?" Minerva answered curtly, looking up from the paper work in front of her.

"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office," the girl answered.

"Very well, Miss Longcomb. Thank you," Minerva dismissed the girl, before sighing inwardly. She knew exactly why the headmaster wanted to see her. It had been the same all year. He'd call her into his office, tell her he'd be away and dismiss her without answering her questions. She was tired of it and it was becoming harder for her to hide it.

With a calming breath she got up and slowly made her way to his office. She only had to knock once, before she heard him calling her into his office.

"Ah, my dear professor. I am glad you could come immediately," he smiled at her and offered her a seat near his fireplace.

"Headmaster," Minerva replied curtly and instantly sat down. She was not interested in pleasantries and small talk anymore.

"I assume you know why you are here?" Albus asked and waited for some kind of reaction from his deputy, but she simply nodded.

"Yes, well, there is going to be a slight difference tonight. I asked for some of the Order to help you keep watch," Albus explained and feel silent for a minute. He studied his transfiguration professor, but when all she did was raise an eyebrow, he decided to continue. "I will be away with Mr. Potter again. I am not sure whether something will happen tonight, but I thought it better to take all the necessary precautions to make sure the students are safe," he finished. Minerva had been attentively listening to Albus, but decided to keep quiet. She simply nodded.

Albus was confused by his deputy's lack of reaction to his news. Normally she tried to get information out of him or would remind him that the Order was there to help him and Harry.

"No questions tonight, my dear?" Albus asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

Minerva felt herself tensing when he called her 'my dear'. "Why should I ask questions, Headmaster? You wouldn't answer them anyway," Minerva answered coldly, realizing that she sounded like a small, whining child.

Albus was taken aback by her sudden fierce reaction and the smile that had been playing on his lips seconds before vanished.

"Is there anything wrong, Professor?" Albus asked seriously. He had of course noticed her distant behaviour and her frequent use of the word 'headmaster' as means of addressing him.

"No, of course not. You told me what I need to know and I should really be returning to my grading," Minerva answered and got up again to leave the room.

"Please sit down again, Minerva," Albus said softly, but firmly. Minerva knew it wasn't a question, but an order. She obeyed, but not without fixing him with an angry glare.

"And now, you may tell me what is wrong," Albus said quietly, while fixing his deputy with his intense blue eyes.

"There's nothing wrong," Minerva answered, but a short glance into his eyes told her that she wouldn't get away with it. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes for a moment. When she reopened them, she found her oldest friend still staring at her. "It's just that I don't understand where all this secrecy has come from. If I remember correctly then there has been a time not too long ago, when we talked about everything concerning the school, the students.. us…," she finished softly, avoiding his gaze now. Albus nodded slowly, he had expected her to react like this at some point.

"Yes, there has been, and I miss that time, too. I am afraid though that these dark times call for changes, however unhappy we may be with them. I am not trying to exclude you, Professor, but there are things to be taken care of.. certain riddles to be solved, before Harry is fit to encounter the dark lord," he explained.

"Well that certainly doesn't answer why you choose not to tell me or the Order what is going on. Instead you put all your faith into a 16 years old boy and a former death eater. Forgive me, Albus, but these are strange methods, even for you," Minerva replied. "You have more experienced wizards to help you than young Mr. Potter and his friends and there certainly are more trustworthy wizards than Severus Snape," Minerva spat out the last name.

"I trust Severus with my life!" Albus exclaimed strongly, fixing his oldest friend once again with his stare. "I realize that my answers may seem unsatisfactory to you, but they are all I can give."

"Well, then lets leave out the personal business, but how am I supposed to fulfill my duties as your Deputy Headmistress when I don't even know what's going on? I don't care about all the internals, but I do care about this school and its students. You don't even think it necessary to inform me what may happen tonight. I know as well as you do that you have a reason to call the Order for help. We can't all have been death eaters to prove useful to you, you know," Minerva said angrily. Albus got up from his seat quite suddenly, startling Minerva a bit.

"I fully well know that Professor McGonagall and I am surprised that you would accuse me of willingly risking our student's lives," he said, not without a hint of anger in his voice. He had come to stand next to his desk and was looking at her from across the room.

"Your secrecy has risked lives before," Minerva said quietly and only then realized what she had implied with this sentence. Dumbledore had kept quiet, but suddenly punched his desk with his right hand, instantly causing him to wince in pain. Minerva's hand flew to her chest, his strong reaction had taken her by surprise. "I know that it has _**cost**_ lives," Albus corrected her quietly, while he was massaging his burnt hand absentmindedly.

"Where is the potion Poppy brewed you?" Minerva asked quietly. He tried to hide the pain in his hand, but she could see it in his eyes and suddenly the anger in her vanished.

"On the left shelve, next to my transfiguration books," Albus answered, not trying to be the brave one for once. Minerva picked up the small flask and made her way over to Dumbledore's desk, where he had slumped into his chair. He reached out to take the potion from her, but she shrugged his hand off.

She sat down in the chair in front of his desk and transfigured a sheet of paper into a cotton pad. "You don't have to do this," Albus said softly, trying to hide his black hand from her view.

"Don't be silly!" she replied brusquely. She carefully removed the robe he had pulled over the hand and gently started to dab his hand with the potion. Albus watched the older witch intently as she did so. She didn't seem to be bothered by the sight of his hand. There had been no sharp intake of breath, she wasn't even afraid to touch it.

The two Professors were silent while Minerva tended to Albus' hand, each lost in their own thoughts. Minerva felt her Scottish temper beginning to cool down and her anger was replaced by a deep sadness, which she couldn't even explain to herself. When she had finished tending to Albus' wound, she closed the potion flask, and for the first time since their fight looked into his eyes.

"Better? She asked softly and Dumbledore nodded.

"Minerva, please understand that this has nothing to do with whom I trust more. You know that you have always been one of my closest and I may say dearest friends." Minerva averted her eyes for a short moment, before returning to look at Albus.

"This secrecy isn't easy for me either, but I do what I think has to be done. I won't be around forever and teaching Harry is my priority right now. He needs to know what I know, because his role in this war is going to be essential to the future of the Wizarding world. I know you would defeat Voldemort for him if you could and I'd do the same thing in a heartbeat, but we can't. I try to tell as little people as possible about what Harry and I are doing, because it means that less people are going to be in danger of being hunted down by Death Eaters. I know you and the Order want to help, but it is more helpful if you stay alive and are present when Harry needs you in his final battle. Your reactions to whatever news will arrive in the future will have to be absolutely convincing in order for Voldemort to believe that you truly had no idea of my plans," Albus explained quietly, being as honest as he could.

"But then what about Severus? Doesn't he need protection?" Minerva challenged, albeit softly.

" Severus, like me, is a doomed man. He will not survive this war and he knows it. He has been around Voldemort long enough to know how to fool the dark lord, he can shut down his mind completely," Albus answered truthfully. Minerva had listened to him, but couldn't quite get his beginning words out of her head.

"What do you mean with Severus is a doomed man like you?" Minerva asked in almost a whisper, already afraid of his answer.

Albus smiled softly at his deputy before answering. "You know it, Minerva. I am old and handicapped," Albus said matter-of-factly, showing his injured hand as proof to his thesis.

"You are still greater than most wizards!" Minerva protested vehemently.

"Yes, but I am losing strength, my dear. My time is almost up and I have stopped pretending it to be otherwise," Albus said plainly. Minerva blinked rapidly to avoid the tears in her eyes from spilling. Showing weakness now was the last thing she or Dumbledore needed.

"Harry will need you in his final battle.. we all will need you," Minerva said gently, leaving it to him to interpret the sentence.

"I will try to stick around as long as I can, but when the time has come, you will find that it is much easier to replace me than you would have thought," he said with a small smile. Minerva wanted to protest and maybe say so much more, but she knew it was futile. Albus Dumbledore had made his final decision and there was no stopping him, no matter what his emotional Deputy would have to say to that.

"If you say so," was all Minerva managed to reply. She looked up to find Albus smiling gently at her and something told her that he already knew what she had wanted to tell him seconds earlier, but then hadn't. She hated to end the moment, but knew that Dumbledore had to leave and she had her grading to get back to. She slowly got up from her chair and with a last smile at him, turned to leave, but once again his voice held her back.

"If I didn't trust you as much as I do, would I then leave you to take care of the most precious thing in my life?" Albus asked softly and Minerva turned around again, a look of puzzlement on her face.

"Hogwarts," Albus replied quietly and his meaning finally dawned on Minerva. Without thinking about it, she rushed back to his desk. Dumbledore got up in confusion, but Minerva didn't say anything. She simply hugged him tightly. Albus instantly reacted by pressing her against him and holding her tightly. Minerva felt a lone tear running down her cheek and dropping unto his robe.

"Take care," she whispered as she pressed a soft kiss on his cheek. Before Dumbledore had the chance to react to what had happened, Minerva McGonagall had left the room. Only later would she know why she had in that moment chosen to do something as unusual as hugging and kissing her employer and friend. Some kind of intuition must have told her that it was the last chance of ever hugging Albus Dumbledore, because that night his last dark prophecy came true.

Well, there you go, nothing special. I just had to get it out of my head. Hope you liked it!


End file.
